Electronics package having a multi-thickness conductor layer and method of manufacturing thereof

ABSTRACT

An electronics package includes an insulating substrate, a first electrical component coupled to a first surface of the insulating substrate, and a first conductor layer formed on the first surface of the insulating substrate. A second conductor layer is formed on a second surface of the insulating substrate, opposite the first surface, the second conductor layer extending through vias in the insulating substrate to contact at least one contact pad of the first electrical component and couple with the first conductor layer. The electronics package also includes a second electrical component having at least one contact pad coupled to the first conductor layer. The first conductor layer has a thickness greater than a thickness of the second conductor layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of, and claims priority to,U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/343,252, filed Nov. 4, 2016, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to semiconductor devicepackages or electronics packages and, more particularly, to anelectronics package that includes a conductor with locally variedthicknesses. This multi-thickness conductor includes a combination ofregions having high current carrying capabilities and high densityrouting capabilities and facilitates the integration of different typesof electronics devices in a miniaturized package topology.

As semiconductor device packages have become increasingly smaller andyield better operating performance, packaging technology hascorrespondingly evolved from leaded packaging, to laminated-based ballgrid array (BGA) packaging, to chip scale packaging (CSP), then flipchippackages, and now buried die/embedded chip build-up packaging.Advancements in semiconductor chip packaging technology are driven byever-increasing needs for achieving better performance, greaterminiaturization, and higher reliability.

A challenge to existing manufacturing techniques is the miniaturizationof electronics packages that incorporate different types of individuallypackaged semiconductor dies that have different current carrying androuting density requirements, such as a mixture digital semiconductordevices and power semiconductor devices. The general structure of aprior art electronics package 10 incorporating a number of individuallypackaged components 12, 14, 16, 18 is shown in FIG. 1. The individuallypackaged components 12, 14, 16, 18 are mounted on a multi-layer printedcircuit board (PCB) 20 that has a thickness 22 of approximately 31 to 93mils. The individually packaged components 12, 14, 16, 18 may be powersemiconductor packages, packaged controllers, or other discreteelectrical components such as inductors or passive components that arecoupled to electrical contacts 24 of PCB 20 using metalized connections26 such as, for example, solder balls in the form of a ball grid array(BGA).

In the illustrated example, individually packaged devices 14, 16 eachinclude a respective semiconductor device or die 28, 30 having contactpads 32 formed on an active surface thereof. Die 28, 30 are provided ona mounting platform 34, 36 and encased within an insulating material 38,40. Wirebonds 42, 44 form direct metal connections between activesurfaces of respective die 28, 30 and a metalized input/output (I/O)provided on or coupled to the lower surface of die 28, 30. In the caseof discrete component 14, wirebonds 42 form an electrical connectionbetween contact pads 32 of die 28 to I/O pads 46 provided on a bottomsurface of discrete component 14. Wirebond 42 electrically couplescontact pads 32 to I/O leads 48. Where die 30 is a diode, for example,wirebond 42 may connect to the anode on a first surface of the die 30and a second surface of the die 30 may be soldered to the leadframe. I/Opads 46 and I/O leads 48 are coupled to electrical contacts 24 of PCB 20by way of metalized connections 26. The overall thickness 50 of suchprior art IC packages may be in the range of 500 μm-2000 μm or larger.

Alternatively, electrical connections between components may be realizedusing a combination of thick and thin conductor layers that areelectrically connected to the appropriate semiconductor dies or powerdevices using through hole or via technology. However, inclusion ofmultiple routing layers adds considerable thickness to the overallelectronics package, a factor that in combination with the complexconductor structure, limits product level miniaturization, designflexibility, and cost efficiency. Additionally, both of theaforementioned techniques include multiple routing layers, which resultsin a long and complex conductor structure between electrical componentsand weakens the electrical performance of the overall package, which isincreasingly unfavorable in high performance packaging (e.g., highfrequency, RF, intelligent power, and other advanced electronicspackaging).

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a new electronicspackaging technology that permits electrical components of differenttypes to be integrated into a highly miniaturized electronics packagewith locally enhanced electrical and thermal conductivity for certainelectronics components and increased routing density in regionsproximate other electronics components. It would further be desirablefor such a packaging technology to permit a shorter conductor lengthbetween electrical components and improve signal fidelity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an electronics packageincludes an insulating substrate, a first electrical component coupledto a first surface of the insulating substrate, and a first conductorlayer formed on the first surface of the insulating substrate. A secondconductor layer is formed on a second surface of the insulatingsubstrate, opposite the first surface, the second conductor layerextending through vias in the insulating substrate to contact at leastone contact pad of the first electrical component and couple with thefirst conductor layer. The electronics package also includes a secondelectrical component having at least one contact pad coupled to thefirst conductor layer. The first conductor layer has a thickness greaterthan a thickness of the second conductor layer.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method ofmanufacturing an electronics package includes providing an insulatingsubstrate, forming a first conductor layer on a first surface of theinsulating substrate, and coupling a first electrical component to thefirst surface of the insulating substrate. The method also includescoupling a second electrical component to the first conductor layer andforming a second conductor layer on a second surface of the insulatingsubstrate, opposite the first surface. The second conductor layerextends through vias formed in the insulating substrate to electricallycouple with the first conductor layer and contact at least one contactpad on the first electrical component. The first conductor layer isformed having a thickness greater than a thickness of the secondconductor layer.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, an electronicspackage includes an insulating substrate having a top surface and abottom surface and a multi-thickness conductor extending through vias inthe insulating substrate. The multi-thickness conductor includes a firstconductor layer formed on the bottom surface of the insulating substrateand a second conductor layer formed on the top surface of the insulatingsubstrate and electrically coupled with the first patterned conductorlayer through a portion of the vias, the second patterned conductorlayer having a thickness less than a thickness of the first patternedconductor layer. A first electrical component is affixed to the bottomsurface of the insulating substrate, the first electrical componenthaving a plurality of contact pads electrically coupled to the secondconductor layer through another portion of the vias. A second electricalcomponent having at least one contact pad is coupled to the firstconductor layer.

These and other advantages and features will be more readily understoodfrom the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of theinvention that is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings illustrate embodiments presently contemplated for carryingout the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a prior artelectronics package incorporating a power die and a digital die.

FIGS. 2-7A are schematic cross-sectional side views of an electronicspackage during various stages of a manufacturing/build-up processaccording embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the electronicspackage of FIG. 7 further including an insulating material surroundingthe electrical components, according to another embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the electronicspackage of FIG. 7 further including a direct bond copper (DBC)substrate, according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 10-15 are schematic cross-sectional side views of an electronicspackage of during various stages of a manufacturing/build-up processaccording to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide for an electronics packagethat includes multiple semiconductor devices, dies, or chips coupled toa patterned conductor layer with locally varied thicknesses. Thismulti-thickness conductor layer is formed on opposing surfaces of aninsulating substrate, extends through the insulating substrate, andincludes regions having different routing density and current carryingcapabilities. As described in more detail below, portions of themulti-thickness conductor layer include a low density routing patternthat provides the requisite current carrying capabilities for one typeof electrical component, such as a power semiconductor die, while other,thinner portions of the conductor layer have a high density routingpattern that enables routing capability below 100/100 μm L/S for anothertype of electrical component, such as a digital semiconductor die.

As used herein, the phrase “power semiconductor device” refers to asemiconductor component, device, die or chip designed to carry a largeamount of current and/or support a large voltage. Power semiconductordevices are typically used as electrically controllable switches orrectifiers in power electronic circuits, such as switched mode powersupplies, for example. Non-limiting examples of power semiconductordevices include insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), metal oxidesemiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), bipolar junctiontransistors (BJTs), integrated gate-commutated thyristors (IGCTs), gateturn-off (GTO) thyristors, Silicon Controlled Rectifiers (SCRs), diodesor other devices or combinations of devices including materials such asSilicon (Si), Silicon Carbide (SiC), Gallium Nitride (GaN), and GalliumArsenide (GaAs). In use, power semiconductor devices are typicallymounted to an external circuit by way of a packaging structure, with thepackaging structure providing an electrical connection to the externalcircuit and also providing a way to remove the heat generated by thedevices and protect the devices from the external environment. Typicalpower semiconductor devices include two (2) to four (4) input/output(I/O) interconnections to electrically connect both sides of arespective power semiconductor device to an external circuit.

As used herein, the phrase “digital semiconductor device” refers to asemiconductor component, device, die, or chip provided in the form of adigital logic device, such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, memorydevice, video processor, or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit(ASIC), as non limiting examples. As is understood in the art, digitalsemiconductor devices have reduced current carrying requirements andrequire increased routing density as compared to power semiconductordevices due to the differences in interconnection pitch and number ofI/Os between the device types. A digital semiconductor device mayinclude anywhere between ten and thousands of I/Os depending on thedevice configuration.

While the electrical components embedded in the electronics package arereferenced below in the embodiments of FIGS. 2-15 specifically as one ormore power semiconductor devices in combination with one or more digitalsemiconductor devices, it is understood that other combinations ofdifferently configured electrical components could be substituted in theelectronics package, and thus embodiments of the invention are notlimited only to the embedding of power devices and digital devices in acommon electronics package. That is, the technique of using locallyvaried planar conductor thicknesses may be extended to electronicspackages with any combination of electrical components having differingcurrent carrying capabilities and routing density structures. Thus, theelectronics package embodiments described below should also beunderstood to encompass electronics packages including resistors,capacitors, inductors, filters, or other similar devices, providedeither alone or in combination with one or more power or digitaldevices. Additionally, while the embodiments of FIGS. 2-15 are describedas including one power device and one digital device, it is contemplatedthat the concepts described herein may be extended to electronicspackages that include any combination of three or more electricalcomponents.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-7, cross-sectional views showing the variousbuild up steps of a technique for manufacturing an electronics package100 are illustrated according to an embodiment of the invention. Across-section of the build-up process for a singular electronics package100 is shown in FIGS. 2-7 for ease of visualization of the build-upprocess. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that multipleelectronics packages could be manufactured in a similar manner at thepanel level and then singulated into individual electronics packages asdesired. As described in detail below, electronics package 100 includesa combination of different semiconductor devices or die 102, 104. In theillustrated embodiment described herein, die 102 is a powersemiconductor device and die 104 is a digital semiconductor device.However, electronics package 100 may include any combination ofelectrical components requiring different current carrying and routingdensity capabilities in alternative embodiments.

Referring first to FIG. 2, the manufacturing technique begins by platingan insulating substrate 106 with a first conductor layer 108. Accordingto various embodiments, insulating substrate 106 may be provided in theform of an insulating film or dielectric substrate, such as for examplea Kapton® laminate flex, although other suitable materials may also beemployed, such as Ultem®, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), or anotherpolymer film, such as a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) or a polyimidesubstrate, as non-limiting examples. First conductor layer 108 is anelectrically conductive metal such as, for example, copper. However,other electrically conducting materials or a combination of metal and afilling agent may be used in other embodiments. First conductor layer108 may be applied directly to the bottom surface 110 of insulatingsubstrate 106 using a sputtering and electroplating technique or otherelectroless method of metal deposition. Alternatively, a titaniumadhesion layer and copper seed layer 111 (FIG. 7A) may first be appliedto the bottom surface 110 of insulating substrate 106 using a sputteringprocess, followed by an electroplating process that increases athickness 114 of the first conductor layer 108 to a desired level. Inthe embodiments described herein, thickness 114 may be in the range of25 μm-250 μm. However, it is contemplated that first conductor layer 108may be formed having a thickness outside this range of values inalternative embodiments. In yet another embodiment, the manufacturingtechnique may begin by providing a metal-clad insulating film.

Next a first layer photoresist mask 116, shown in FIG. 3, is formed onfirst conductor layer 108 and is patterned with openings for a highcurrent, I/O routing layer. With the first layer photoresist mask 116 inplace, first conductor layer 108 is subsequently patterned using anetching process. After the first layer photoresist mask 116 is removed,one or multiple organic or inorganic coating layers (not shown), such asorganic solderability preservative (OSP) or Ni/Au, may be applied to thesurface of first conductor layer 108.

A layer of insulating material 118 is used to affix a digitalsemiconductor device 104 to insulating substrate 106, as shown in FIG.4. As used herein the phrase “insulating material” refers to anelectrically insulating material that adheres to surrounding componentsof the electronics package such as a polymeric material (e.g., epoxy,liquid crystal polymer, ceramic or metal filled polymers) or otherorganic material as non-limiting examples. In some embodiments,insulating material 118 may be provided in either an uncured or partialcured (i.e., B-stage) form. In the illustrated embodiment, insulatingmaterial 118 is limited to a select portion of bottom surface 110 ofinsulating substrate 106, however, insulating material 118 may beapplied to coat the entirety of bottom surface 110 and all or portionsof exposed surfaces of patterned first conductor layer 108 inalternative embodiments. Insulating material 118 may be applied using acoating technique such as spin coating or slot die coating, using alamination or spray process, or may be applied by a programmabledispensing tool in the form of an inkjet printing-type device technique,as non-limiting examples. Alternatively, insulating material 118 may beapplied to digital semiconductor device 104 prior to placement oninsulating substrate 106. In alternative embodiments, digitalsemiconductor device 104 may be affixed to insulating substrate 106 byway of an adhesive property of the insulating substrate 106 itself.

Digital semiconductor device 104 is positioned into insulating material118 using conventional pick and place equipment and methods. As shown,digital semiconductor device 104 is positioned with respect toinsulating substrate 106 such that a top surface or active surface 120comprising electrical contact pads 122 or connection pads is positionedinto insulating material 118. Contact pads 122 provide conductive routes(I/O connections) to internal contacts within digital semiconductordevice 104 and may have a composition that includes a variety ofelectrically conductive materials such as aluminum, copper, gold,silver, nickel, or combinations thereof as non-limiting examples. Asunderstood in the art, the number of contact pads 122 on digitalsemiconductor device 104 is dependent upon the complexity and intendedfunctionality of device 104. The pad pitch (i.e., the center-to-centerdistance between adjacent contact pads) is inversely proportional to thenumber of contact pads 122 provided on digital semiconductor device 104.While not shown in the illustrated embodiment, it is contemplated thatother discrete or passive devices, such as, for example, a resistor, acapacitor, or an inductor, may be affixed to insulating substrate 106 byway of insulating material 118.

After semiconductor device 104 is positioned, insulating material 118 isfully cured, thermally or by way of a combination of heat or radiation.Suitable radiation may include UV light and/or microwaves. In oneembodiment, a partial vacuum and/or above atmospheric pressure may beused to promote the removal of volatiles from the insulating material118 during cure if any are present.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a plurality of vias 124, 126 are formed throughinsulating substrate 106 and insulating material 118. As shown, vias 124are aligned with remaining portions of first conductor layer 108 andvias 126 are formed to expose contact pads 122 of semiconductor device104. Vias 124, 126 may be formed by a UV laser drilling or dry etching,photo-definition, or mechanical drilling process as non-limitingexamples. Alternately, vias 124, 126 may be formed by way of othermethods including: plasma etching, dry and wet etching, or other lasertechniques like CO2 and excimer. In one embodiment, vias 124, 126 areformed having angled side surfaces, as shown in FIG. 5, to facilitatelater filling and metal deposition. Vias 124, 126 are subsequentlycleaned such as through a reactive ion etching (RIE) desoot process orlaser process.

While the formation of vias 124, 126 through insulating substrate 106and insulating material 118 is shown in FIG. 5 as being performed afterplacement of digital semiconductor device 104 into insulating material118, it is recognized that the placement of semiconductor device 104could occur after via formation. Furthermore, a combination of pre- andpost-drilled vias could be employed.

A second conductor layer 128 or metallization layer is then plated onthe top surface 130 of insulating substrate 106. Similar to firstconductor layer 108, second conductor layer 128 is an electricallyconducting material and may be applied using any of the techniquesdescribed above with respect to first conductor layer 108. Optionally, atitanium adhesion layer and copper seed layer 129 (FIG. 7A) may first beapplied via a sputtering process to the top surface 130 of insulatingsubstrate 106 prior to applying second conductor layer 128.

As shown, second conductor layer 128 extends through vias 126 andelectrically couples with contact pads 122 of digital semiconductordevice 104. Second conductor layer 128 has a thickness 132 less than thethickness 114 of conductor layer 108. The reduced thickness 132 ofsecond conductor layer 128 permits the portion 134 of second conductorlayer 128 electrically coupled to digital semiconductor device 104 to beformed having a routing pattern with a high density routing capability.As used herein, the phrase “high density routing capability” or “highdensity L/S pattern” refers to a routing capability below 100/100 μm L/S(line/space). In an exemplary embodiment, thickness 132 is in the rangeof approximately 4 μm-30 μm. However, one skilled in the art willrecognize that the thickness 132 of second conductor layer 128 may bevaried to correspond to the interconnection pitch of a particulardigital semiconductor die 104.

A second layer photoresist mask 136, shown in FIG. 6, is formed onsecond conductor layer 128 and patterned with openings that define arouting layer electrically connected to contact pads 122 of digitalsemiconductor device 104 and conductor layer 108. With the second layerphotoresist mask 136 in place, second conductor layer 128 is patternedusing an etching process. As shown in FIG. 7, the process yields apatterned second conductor layer 128 with openings for a high densityL/S pattern that extends out from contact pads 122 of digitalsemiconductor device 104, through vias 126, and out across the topsurface 130 of insulating substrate 106. Together, the first conductorlayer 108 and second conductor layer 128 create a multi-thicknessconductor layer 138 that extends through insulating substrate 106 andhas high density routing capabilities for digital semiconductor device104 and high current carrying capabilities for power semiconductordevice 102. Multi-thickness conductor layer 138 has an overall thickness139 equal to the combined thicknesses 114, 132 of the first conductorlayer 108 and second conductor layer 128 plus the thickness 141 of theinsulating substrate 106.

After any remaining portions of second layer photoresist mask 136 areremoved, a joining material 140 is used to mechanically and electricallycouple power semiconductor device 102 to conductor layer 108. Accordingto various embodiments, joining material 140 may be solder, sinteredsilver, a conductive adhesive such as a polymer filled with anelectrically conductive filler such as silver, or another electricallyconductive material able to withstand high temperatures. In oneembodiment, a liquid phase bonding joining technique is used to couplepower semiconductor device 102 to conductor layer 108.

As shown, joining material 140 is electrically coupled to contact pads142 or connection pads located on a top surface or active surface 144 ofpower semiconductor device 102. Similar to contact pads 122 of digitalsemiconductor device 104, contact pads 142 provide conductive routes(I/O connections) to internal contacts within power semiconductor device102 and are formed of an electrically conductive material. In the casewhere power semiconductor device 102 is an IGBT, for example, contactpads 142 are coupled to corresponding emitter and/or gate or anoderegions of the power semiconductor device 102. Depending on the deviceconfiguration, power semiconductor device 102 may also include at leastone lower collector pad or contact pad 146 (shown in phantom) that isdisposed on its backside or lower surface 148.

In the fabrication technique described above, power semiconductor device102 is affixed to conductor layer 108 as a final step of the fabricationtechnique. Doing so beneficially permits multi-thickness conductor layer138 to be tested prior to attaching the costly power semiconductordevice 102. In alternative embodiments, power semiconductor device 102may be affixed at any time after forming first conductor layer 108.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a solder mask layer 150 may be applied overthe second conductor layer 128 of electronics package 100 to provide aprotective coating and define interconnect pads. Interconnect pads mayhave a metal finish, such as Ni or Ni/Au, to aid solderability. A seriesof input/output (I/O) connections 152 are then made to provide a routefor electrical connections between the power semiconductor device 102,digital semiconductor device 104, and external components (not shown)such as, for example a busbar or printed circuit board (PCB). Such I/Oconnections 152 may be provided in the form of plated bumps or pillarbumps, as non-limiting examples.

In some embodiments, power semiconductor device 102 and digitalsemiconductor device 104 are overcoated with a layer of electricallyinsulating material 154 to provide rigidity and ease of handling and toprevent arcing between semiconductor devices and other metal componentsin high voltage applications. Such a configuration is shown in FIG. 8and is applicable in embodiments where the power semiconductor device102 is a lateral device that does not include a connection to thebackside of the device 102. As shown in FIG. 9, electrically insulatingmaterial 154 may also be applied to fill the region between powersemiconductor device 102 and conductor layer 108.

In embodiments where power semiconductor device 102 includes one or morelower contact pad 146, a conductive substrate 156 may be provided tocreate an electrical connection to lower contact pad 146 as shown inFIG. 9. Conductive substrate 156 may be an encapsulated metal lead frameor a multi-layer substrate such as, for example, a printed circuit board(PCB) or DBC substrate as shown in the illustrated embodiment thatincludes a non-organic ceramic substrate with upper and lower sheets ofcopper bonded to both sides thereof with a direct bond copper interfaceor braze layer. The electrical connection between conductive substrate156 and power semiconductor die 104 is made through a conductive joininglayer 158, such as solder, silver paste, or a conductive adhesive asexamples, which is formed on lower contact pad 146. In such anembodiment, the connection between conductive substrate 156 and thelower contact pad 146 of power semiconductor device 102 is made prior tofilling the volume between the conductive substrate 156 and theinsulating substrate 106 with electrically insulating material 154.

An alternative technique for manufacturing an electronics package 160 isillustrated in FIGS. 10-15. Electronics package 160 includes a number ofsimilar components as electronics package 100, and thus numbers used toindicate components in FIGS. 2-9 will also be used to indicate similarcomponents in FIGS. 10-15.

Similar to the manufacturing technique described with respect to FIG. 2,manufacture of electronics package 160 begins by applying a firstconductor layer 108 to the bottom surface 110 of insulating substrate106, as shown in FIG. 10. Alternatively, fabrication of electronicspackage 160 may begin with a metal-clad dielectric substrate. A firstlayer photoresist mask 162 (FIG. 11) is then applied to mask the portionof conductor layer 108 corresponding to a low density L/S pattern. Anetching technique is used to remove portions of the conductor layer 108exposed by the first layer photoresist mask 162.

Insulating material 118 (FIG. 12) is next applied and used to affixdigital semiconductor device 104 and power semiconductor device 102 toinsulating substrate 106. After insulating material 118 is cured, aseries of vias 124, 126 are formed through insulating substrate 106,conductor layer 108 and cured insulating material 118, as shown in FIG.13. Second conductor layer 128 is then formed on the top surface 130 ofinsulating substrate 106 and extends through vias 124, 126 toelectrically connect to contact pads 122, 142.

Referring to FIG. 14, a second layer photoresist mask 136 is applied tothe top surface 164 of the second conductor layer 128. Select portionsof second photoresist mask 136 are removed to define a high density L/Spattern. The exposed portions of second conductor layer 128 are thenremoved using an etching technique resulting in the formation of thehigh density L/S pattern, as shown in FIG. 15. After etching process iscomplete, the remaining portions of second layer photoresist mask 136are removed using a stripping technique to yield the electronics package160 shown in FIG. 15. The multi-thickness conductor layer 138 formed bythe combination of first conductor layer 108 and second conductor layer128 thus includes a high density routing pattern for electricalconnections to digital semiconductor device 104 and a low densityrouting pattern with high current carrying capabilities for powersemiconductor device 102.

Similar to the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, fabrication ofelectronics package 160 may also include the addition of an electricallyinsulating material and I/O connections. Where one or more of theembedded electrical components includes a backside contact pad, similarto contact pad 146 of FIG. 7, a conductive substrate may be included toprovide an electrical connection thereto in a similar manner asillustrated in FIG. 9.

Beneficially, use of the multi-thickness conductor layer enableslocating disparate electrical components much closer in proximity toeach other than prior art techniques such as that shown in FIG. 1, whileproviding the requisite high density routing capabilities and highcurrent carrying capabilities for the different types of electricalcomponents. The multi-thickness conductor layer also provides a shorterand less complex conductor structure between electrical components ascompared to the prior art techniques, thus improving the reliability ofelectrical connections within the packaging structure.

Therefore, according to one embodiment of the invention, an electronicspackage includes an insulating substrate, a first electrical componentcoupled to a first surface of the insulating substrate, and a firstconductor layer formed on the first surface of the insulating substrate.A second conductor layer is formed on a second surface of the insulatingsubstrate, opposite the first surface, the second conductor layerextending through vias in the insulating substrate to contact at leastone contact pad of the first electrical component and couple with thefirst conductor layer. The electronics package also includes a secondelectrical component having at least one contact pad coupled to thefirst conductor layer. The first conductor layer has a thickness greaterthan a thickness of the second conductor layer.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a method ofmanufacturing an electronics package includes providing an insulatingsubstrate, forming a first conductor layer on a first surface of theinsulating substrate, and coupling a first electrical component to thefirst surface of the insulating substrate. The method also includescoupling a second electrical component to the first conductor layer andforming a second conductor layer on a second surface of the insulatingsubstrate, opposite the first surface. The second conductor layerextends through vias formed in the insulating substrate to electricallycouple with the first conductor layer and contact at least one contactpad on the first electrical component. The first conductor layer isformed having a thickness greater than a thickness of the secondconductor layer.

According to yet another embodiment of the invention, an electronicspackage includes an insulating substrate having a top surface and abottom surface and a multi-thickness conductor extending through vias inthe insulating substrate. The multi-thickness conductor includes a firstconductor layer formed on the bottom surface of the insulating substrateand a second conductor layer formed on the top surface of the insulatingsubstrate and electrically coupled with the first patterned conductorlayer through a portion of the vias, the second patterned conductorlayer having a thickness less than a thickness of the first patternedconductor layer. A first electrical component is affixed to the bottomsurface of the insulating substrate, the first electrical componenthaving a plurality of contact pads electrically coupled to the secondconductor layer through another portion of the vias. A second electricalcomponent having at least one contact pad is coupled to the firstconductor layer.

While the invention has been described in detail in connection with onlya limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood thatthe invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, theinvention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations,alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretoforedescribed, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of theinvention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention havebeen described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention mayinclude only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, theinvention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, butis only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronics package comprising: amulti-thickness conductor comprising a first portion and a secondportion thicker than the first portion; an insulating substratepositioned between the first and second portions of the multi-thicknessconductor; a first electrical component coupled to a first surface ofthe insulating substrate and electrically connected to the first portionof the multi-thickness conductor through at least one via in theinsulating substrate; and a second electrical component coupled to thesecond portion of the multi-thickness conductor; wherein the firstportion of the multi-thickness conductor is electrically coupled to thesecond portion of the multi-thickness conductor through at least anothervia in the insulating substrate.
 2. The electronics package of claim 1wherein the first electrical component comprises a digital semiconductorcomponent and the second electrical component comprises a powersemiconductor component.
 3. The electronics package of claim 1 furthercomprising an electrically insulating material that coats portions ofthe first electrical component, the second electrical component, and thefirst surface of the insulating substrate.
 4. The electronics package ofclaim 3 wherein the electrically insulating material fills a regionbetween the second electrical component and the first surface of theinsulating substrate.
 5. The electronics package of claim 3 furthercomprising a conductive substrate coupled to a contact pad on a backsidesurface of the second electrical component; wherein contact pads on anactive surface of the second electrical component are coupled to thesecond portion of the multi-thickness conductor; and whereinelectrically insulating material fills a region between the firstsurface of the insulating substrate and the conductive substrate.
 6. Theelectronics package of claim 1 further comprising a layer of insulatingmaterial that adheres the first electrical component to the insulatingsubstrate.
 7. The electronics package of claim 1 further comprising ajoining material that mechanically and electrically couples contact padson an active surface of the second electrical component to the secondportion of the multi-thickness conductor.
 8. The electronics package ofclaim 1 further comprising a layer of insulating material that adheresthe first and second electrical components to the insulating substrate.9. The electronics package of claim 8 wherein contact pads on an activesurface of the second electrical component are electrically coupled tothe second portion of the multi-thickness conductor through vias in thelayer of insulating material.
 10. A method of manufacturing anelectronics package comprising: forming a first portion of amulti-thickness conductor; forming a second portion of themulti-thickness conductor, the second portion thicker than the firstportion; electrically coupling the first portion of the multi-thicknessconductor to the second portion of the multi-thickness conductor throughat least one via in an insulating substrate; affixing an active surfaceof a first electrical component to a first surface of the insulatingsubstrate; electrically coupling the active surface of the firstelectrical component to the first portion of the multi-thicknessconductor through at least another via in the insulating substrate; andaffixing an active surface of a second electrical component to thesecond portion of the multi-thickness conductor.
 11. The method of claim10 further comprising sputtering an adhesion layer and a seed layer onat least one of the first surface of the insulating substrate and asecond surface of the insulating substrate.
 12. The method of claim 11wherein sputtering the adhesion layer and the seed layer comprisessputtering a titanium adhesion layer and a copper seed layer.
 13. Themethod of claim 10 further comprising applying the first conductor layerdirectly to a second surface of the insulating substrate.
 14. The methodof claim 10 further comprising applying the second conductor layerdirectly to the first surface of the insulating substrate.
 15. Themethod of claim 10 further comprising forming the first portion of themulti-thickness conductor on a second surface of the insulatingsubstrate, opposite the first surface.
 16. The method of claim 10further comprising forming the second portion of the multi-thicknessconductor on the first surface of the insulating substrate.
 17. Themethod of claim 10 further comprising: applying a layer of insulatingmaterial to the first surface of the insulating substrate; and affixingthe first electrical component to the insulating substrate with thelayer of insulating material.
 18. The method of claim 17 furthercomprising affixing the second electrical component to the insulatingsubstrate with the layer of insulating material.
 19. The method of claim10 further comprising coating portions of the first electricalcomponent, the second electrical component, and the first surface of theinsulating substrate with a layer of electrically insulating material.20. An electronics package comprising: an insulating substrate; a firstelectrical component coupled to a first surface of the insulatingsubstrate; a multi-thickness conductor comprising: a first conductorlayer proximate the first surface of the insulating substrate; a secondconductor layer proximate a second surface of the insulating substrate,opposite the first surface, the second conductor layer thinner than thefirst conductor layer; wherein the second conductor layer extendsthrough at least one via in the insulating substrate to contact at leastone contact pad on an active surface of the first electrical component;and wherein the second conductor layer extends through at least anothervia in the insulating substrate to contact the first conductor layer;and a second electrical component coupled to the first conductor layer.21. The electronics package of claim 20 wherein the first conductorlayer is applied directly to the first surface of the insulatingsubstrate.
 22. The electronics package of claim 20 further comprising anadhesion layer and a seed layer applied to the first surface of theinsulating substrate.
 23. The electronics package of claim 22 whereinthe adhesion layer comprises titanium and the seed layer comprisecopper.
 24. The electronics package of claim 20 wherein the secondconductor layer is applied on the second surface of the insulatingsubstrate.
 25. The electronics package of claim 20 further comprising anadhesion layer and a seed layer applied to the second surface of theinsulating substrate prior to applying the second conductor layer. 26.The electronics package of claim 25 wherein the adhesion layer comprisestitanium and the seed layer comprise copper.
 27. The electronics packageof claim 20 wherein the first conductor layer comprises copper.
 28. Theelectronics package of claim 20 wherein the first electrical componentcomprises a digital semiconductor component and the second electricalcomponent comprises a power semiconductor component.